Think of How Many
by Kataoi
Summary: Short story. Rory finds a kitten...or rather, a kitten finds Rory.


_Meowwrr._

Just as his foot was about to leave the terra-firmed planet, Rory just had to hear that noise. He froze, looking down at his ankles, seeing nothing but half fake-grass, half-TARDIS floor.

Was he going cra –

_Meowrrrr._

No, definitely not.

Rory sighed and took a full step back, still hanging on to the door of the TARDIS, the voices of Amy and the Doctor chattering away as they walked further away from him into the ship. He gave a swift glance around the radius he stood, then took quick but careful care to do a sweep of the area around the outside of the blue police box.

Right when he got back to the door, he heard the noise again. _Mewor._

Turning around, Rory finally caught the tormenter of his ears – a small orange cat, barely out of its kitten stage, staring up at him with large, round, green eyes, sparked with the glimmer of innocent happiness. He let his mouth go agape, leaning back a touch as the cat took a tiny step forward.

He could only take a few steps back, however, before his shoulder bumped into the corner of the TARDIS. Shoulder blades caught between the corner, he swung around and fell to the ground, landing hard on the fake grass and feeling the bedrock underneath.

The cat took this as the invitation to jump on his now-open lap. It purred and rubbed its small head against his vest, creating a streak of dents in the stuffed ware. Rory arms were still wide open and a bit confused at what was transpiring, but they soon found their way to petting the cat's head, its ears poking out from between his fingers.

"Hey, Rory, you okay?"

Amy's red hair whipped around the corner of the TARDIS, face and body coming shortly thereafter. Her eyebrows had been raised in curiosity and slight caution, but immediately turned to sheer giddiness at the creature in her husband's lap.

"Where'd you find this?" she squeed, immediately skidding down on her knees and clapping her hands together, chin resting on them. She darted her eyes back and forth between Rory's dubious face and the cat's, now intrigued by the woman before it.

"Um…it found me?"

"Awww!" Amy zoomed her face in closer, hands on Rory's knee. The cat reeled back, but soon became intrigued, slowly nudging its head forward before licking her nose.

"Ooooh – Rory, it's adorable."

"I – uh – yeah. It is."

She looked at him, eyes blazing with zeal. "Think we can keep it?" she whispered hotly, still balancing her hands on his knee but dangerously close to his face.

"But – cat – TARDIS – Doctor –"

Amy sighed, bumping her forehead into his in defeat. "Right…that's right." She leaned back and scratched the cat under its chin. "Adorable little thing, and it obviously followed you here – nothing out in this part."

Rory looked up and was reminded of where the TARDIS had landed – out in the middle of barren nowhere, the city they had explored miles away. He looked back down at the cat, thoroughly enjoying its treatment from Amy, and gave a collapsed sigh.

"I don't want to leave it either."

The cat suddenly perked, eyes and ears alert, tail snapping into the air. It took a few seconds, but Amy and Rory soon followed it sight, landing eyes on the Doctor.

"Found Rory, then?"

"And his cat."

Rory shot her a look. "What? Not mine!"

The Doctor chuckled, jutting his hands in his pockets and rocking forward on his heels. "You know, I'm not _against_ cats. Wily little creatures. Wonderfully psychic, great for delivering messages."

Amy shot to her feet and knotted her fingers together. "Can we keep it? Please?"

"Wha' – of course we can!" The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows and gasped, pseudo-insulted by the question. "Why would I say no? Do you think I'm that bad of a person, Misses Pond?"

"No, I mean – the TARDIS and all…"

The Time Lord quirked his eyebrows, twisting his upper lip. "Actually…there are lots of cats in there. Dogs too. Lots of animals, come to think of it." He cupped his hand in his jaw. "They just seem to…come."

Without answering much more, the Doctor turned on his heel, still pondering his thoughts, leaving Amy, Rory, and the cat.

"…Okay. New theory."

"Yeah?"

"Doctor's really Noah."

"…I believe it."


End file.
